Silly though I think it is, happy Valentine's Day. I hope everyone is having a good one--with appropriate moments shared with loved ones. One billion valentine's cards are expected to be sent/given this year. Wow--that's about the entire population of North America and Europe (and a good chunk of Asia, too).

As a writer who writes romance novels, among other things, I'm definitely a believer in true love. I also believe that people set themselves up for failure. My first wife, a wonderful person, truly believed that if she had to ask for anything, it didn't count. (She actually said this--in so many words). Only if I could read her mind and give her exactly what she wanted with perhaps a minimal hint or two, could I be taken off the hook. Naturally I failed pretty miserably (hence the 'first wife' rather than current wife). I don't think she was unique, though. I think too many people expect too much from others without making themselves clear about what they want.

One of the cool things about being married to a romance author (current wife) is that I can read her books and learn what she likes. How cool is that? When we started dating, I rushed out and bought her books. It was like the instruction manual (and she was flattered I read her stuff--none of her other boyfriends had). Maybe you aren't so lucky as to have a love interest who writes. If not, why not give him/her a book someone else wrote that goes along with what you're looking for. Or, even, why not just ask--hey, I was hoping you'd give me a big bag of chocolate and a suggestive card (or whatever).

I've made more progress on my efforts to update formats. I'm almost done with mysteries (up to the 't's'.

Karen and I are preparing for our planned move to California. As part of the plan, we're de-cluttering. Because I'm a true believer in eBooks, I decided to declutter my bookshelves. So, we packed maybe five hundred books off to Half Price Books (including a number of recent hardbacks and trade paperbacks). How much did we get for such a haul--$40.50. Next time someone tells me they don't like to buy eBooks because they can't resell them, I'll either punch them or shove $40.50 down their nose.

Happy V-D.

Buy eBooks.

Rob